Leadership Movement calls for sack of Agric Minister, Phiri, over alleged incompetence

Leadership Movement party has demanded the dismissal of Agriculture Minister, Mtolo Phiri, for alleged incompetence and misleading the Head of State.

Party Secretary-General, Jairos Ngoma, said Phiri had been lying to President Hakainde Hichilema over the status of the agriculture sector in the face of climate change.

Addressing Journalists at a media briefing in Lusaka on Saturday, Ngoma, claimed that the Minister lied to the President that farming inputs had been distributed on time countrywide when in fact not.

He said farmers had been sharing fertilizer distributed to them in various parts of the country and that the commodity was not distributed on time as promised.

“Mr. President you are a farmer and people in Eastern Province who have been sharing fertilizer voted for you in numbers knowing that you understand them as you a farmer yourself,” Ngoma stated.

He alleged that United Capital Fertiliser was exporting the commodity to Botswana instead of distributing it to farmers as per agreement it made with government.

Ngoma said this had resulted in the farmers sharing the fertilizer in medas across the country because what was meant for them was being sold.

“This company is a subsidiary of China, it’s taking fertiliser to Botswana, 15,000 metric tonnes and later it is taking it to Dar es Salaam,” he said.

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